UNIVERSITI TEKNIKAL MALAYSIA MELAKA

DEVELOPMENT OF BUS ARRIVAL TIME MONITORING SYSTEM

USING RFID TECHNOLOGY

This report submitted in accordance with requirement of the Universiti Teknikal Malaysia

Melaka (UTeM) for the Bachelor Degree of Manufacturing Engineering (Robotic and

Automation) with Honours

by

MOHD HUSNI MUBARAK BIN HAJI ABDUL JALIL

FACULTY OF MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING

2010

UNIVERSITI TEKNIKAL MALAYSIA MELAKA (UTeM)

BORANG PENGESAHAN STATUS LAPORAN PROJEK SARJANA MUDA

TAJUK: Bus Arrival Time Monitoring System using RFID Technology

SESI PENGAJIAN: 2009/2010 Semester 2 Saya MOHD HUSNI MUBARAK BIN HAJI ABDUL JALIL mengaku membenarkan Laporan PSM ini disimpan di Perpustakaan Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) dengan syarat-syarat kegunaan seperti berikut:

1. Laporan PSM adalah hak milik Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka dan Penulis. 2. Perpustakaan Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka dibenarkan membuat salinan

untuk tujuan pengajian sahaja dengan izin penulis. 3. Perpustakaan dibenarkan membuat salinan laporan PSM ini sebagai bahan

pertukaran antara institusi pengajian tinggi.

4. **Sila tandakan (√)

SULIT

TERHAD

TIDAK TERHAD

(Mengandungi maklumat yang berdarjah keselamatan atau kepentingan Malaysia yang termaktub di dalam

AKTA RAHSIA RASMI 1972)

(Mengandungi maklumat TERHAD yang telah ditentukan

oleh organisasi/badan di mana penyelidikan dijalankan)

(TANDATANGAN PENULIS)

Alamat Tetap:

KG PONDOK CHEGAR, MUKIM PADANG PUSING, O6700 PENDANG, KEDAH.

Tarikh:_________________________

Disahkan oleh:

(TANDATANGAN PENYELIA)

Cop Rasmi:

Tarikh:_________________________

** Jika laporan PSM ini SULIT atau TERHAD, sila lampirkan surat daripada pihak berkuasa/organisasi berkenaan dengan menyatakan sekali sebab dan tempoh laporan PSM ini perlu dikelaskan sebagai

SULIT atau TERHAD.

DECLARATION

I hereby, declared this report entitled “Development of Bus Arrival Time Monitoring System

using RFID Technology” is the results of my own research except as cited in references.

Signature : ……………………………

Author’s Name : MOHD HUSNI MUBARAK BIN ABD JALIL

Date : 9th

APRIL 2010

APPROVAL

This report is submitted to the Faculty of Manufacturing Engineering of UTeM as a

partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Manufacturing

Engineering (Robotic and Automation) with Honours. The member of the supervisory

committee is as follow:

(Signature of Supervisor)

………………………………………………

(Official Stamp of Supervisor)

i

ABSTRACT

Public transportation provides people with mobility and access to employment,

community resources, medical care, and recreational opportunities in communities

across city. Public transportation also helps to reduce road congestion and travel

times, energy and oil consumption. Bus is the most public transportation use in

public transit area. Nowdays, with the modern life style the public transit services

should improve their system to reach more efficient time information to the

passengers. In this paper, the development of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)

base bus arrival time monitoring system will be highlight in order to provide an

efficient time monitoring system. This system will provide riders with real time

information to help them catch buses without spending time longer than necessary

waiting for the bus to arrive.

ii

ABSTRAK

Pengangkutan awam menyediakan kemudahan ke tempat kerja, masyarakat, pusat

rawatan perubatan dan rekreasi kepada masyarakat seluruh bandar. Pengangkutan

awam juga membantu megurangkan kesesakan jalan raya dan masa perjalanan,

tenaga dan minyak. Pegankutan awam yang paling meluas penggunaanya adalah bus.

Selaras dengan taraf hidup masa kini, bus mestilah beroperasi dengan cekap bagi

memenuhi tuntutan penumpang. Oleh sebab itu, pengurusan masa penting untuk

memastikan jadual bas lebih cekap. Dalam kertas kajian ini, pembangunan teknologi

“Radio Frequency Identification” untuk pengurusan masa ketibaan bas

diketengahkan untuk memastikan kelancaran pengurusan masa dalam jadual bas.

Sistem ini akan menyediakan informasi masa yang tepat kepada penumpang untuk

membantu penumpang menggunakan bas tanpa membuang masa menunggu ketibaan

bas.

iii

DEDICATION

Special dedication to my father, Abdul Jalil bin Ahmad; mother, Asma bte Hussien;

sisters, Najwa, Najdah, and Nadrotulnaim who are very concern, understanding,

patient and supporting. This project and success will never achieve without all of

you.

iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. First and foremost the praise is to

Allah, the Almighty, on whom ultimately we depend for sustenance and guidance.

Second, my sincere appreciation goes to my supervisor Mr. Lokman Bin Abdullah,

whose have given such effort in guidance, stimulating suggestions, and constructive

comments in all the time during to complete this project and thesis. His timely and

efficient contribution helped me shape this into its final form and I express my

sincerest appreciation for his assistance in any way that I may have asked.

Furthermore, I am also deeply indebted to all lecturers who gave a lot of knowledge

and useful information and encouraged me to go ahead with my thesis. And not to

forget the University Technical Malaysia Malacca (UTeM) especially Faculty of

Manufacturing Engineering that had provide me with all the studies equipment for

this project.

I also would like to thanks all my friends from Robotic and Automation course that

have done a lot of things and helped me to fulfill and finished this project. Finally,

but not least, I would like to give my special thanks to my parent Abdul Jalil bin

Ahmad and Asma bte Hussien whose are very concern, understanding, patient and

supporting me to complete this project and thesis.

v

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abstract i

Abstrak ii

Dedication iii

Acknowledgement iv

Table of Content v

List of Tables ix

List of Figures x

List Abbreviations xiii

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background 1

1.2 Problem Statements 2

1.3 Objectives of project 2

1.4 Scopes 3

1.5 Project planning 3

2. LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Information Technology in Public Transit 6

2.1.1 Travel Time Prediction in Transportation 7

2.1.2 Variables of Travel Time 8

2.1.3 The Important of Time Monitoring in Public Transit 9

2.1.4 Related Technology 10

2.2 Radio Frequency Identification 14

2.2.1 Introduction and History 14

2.2.2 Chronology of RFID 15

2.2.3 ISO and RFID Standard 16

2.2.4 How RFID work 17

2.2.5 Component of RFID 18

2.2.5.1 RFID Tag Technology Description 18

2.2.5.2 Readers 22

vi

2.2.5.3 Antenna 23

2.2.5.4 Software components 25

2.2.6 Common problem with RFID 28

2.2.7 Frequency, Range and Coupling 31

2.2.8 Tag Data Capability 33

2.2.8.1 Read Only (RO) 33

2.2.8.2 Write Once Read Many (WORM) 33

2.2.8.3 Read Write 34

2.2.9 Conclusion 34

2.3 Database 35

2.3.1 Introduction to Database 35

2.3.2 DBMS building block 37

2.3.3 Modeling language 38

2.3.4 Data structure 39

2.3.5 Database query language 39

2.3.6 Database Software 40

2.3.6.1 Microsoft Access 40

2.3.6.2 Visual Basic 41

2.3.6.3 MySQL 42

2.3.6.4 Conclusion of Database 43

3. METHODOLOGY

3.1 General Research Planning 44

3.1.1 Planning Phase 46

3.1.2 Design and Development 46

3.1.3 Testing and Analysis 46

3.2 Project Planning 47

3.2.1 Process Flow 47

3.2.2 Project Concept 49

3.3 Component selection 50

3.3.1 RFID Devices Selection 50

3.3.2 Related Component 52

3.4 Programming Software 52

3.4.1 Visual Basic 6 53

vii

3.5 Conclusion 55

4. DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT

4.1 Design and Development of Database 56

4.1.1 Establish a Connection by using the Data Configuration Wizard 57

4.1.2 Design and Development of an Access Database 60

4.2 Design and Development of User Interface for Database 62

4.2.1 Creating the User Interface for Database 63

4.3 Design and Development of Display Screen 67

4.4 Writing the Code 68

4.4.1 Source Code for Database Interface 68

4.4.2 Source Code for Display Screen 72

4.5 Project Setup 73

4.5.1 Hardware Setup 74

4.5.2 Connection Setup 76

4.6 System Testing 78

5. ANALYSIS, RESULT, AND DISCUSSION

5.1 Result and testing the prototype 79

5.2 Result and testing the software interface 81

5.3 Analysis and Discussion of the Reader Performance 83

5.4 Finding 87

6. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDTION

6.1 Conclusion 88

6.2 Recommendation 89

REFERENCES 92

APPENDICES

A Proximity Reader

B Source code of display screen for bus arrival time monitoring system

C Technical characteristics of RFID systems

viii

D RFID: Read and Display

E Electromagnetic system principle

F ISO technical standards

ix

LIST OF TABLES

1.1 Gantt chart for PSM 1 4

1.2 Gantt chart for PSM 2 5

2.1 AVL Deployments by Fixed Route Bus Transit Agencies 11

2.2 ITS user services 13

2.3 The decades of RFID technology 15

2.4 Types of frequencies 32

2.5 Overview of definitions in database 36

4.1 Travel time scheduling 60

5.1 Percentage of successful data reading with single tag 85

5.2 Percentage of successful data reading with multiple tags (five tags) 86

x

LIST OF FIGURES

2.1 Illustration of an AVL 10

2.2 Illustration of an AVP system and components 12

2.3 Milestones during the early days of RFID 16

2.4 RFID System Principle 18

2.5 A Typical Passive Tag 19

2.6 Components of a Passive RFID System 20

2.7 Components of an Active RFID System 21

2.8 An example of Semi-Active RFID Tags 22

2.9 An example reader with these 23

2.10 UHF Circular polarized reader antenna 24

2.11 Reader connection scheme with one RFID reader and four antennas 24

2.12 RFID Software Components and Their Interdependencies 25

2.13 Bulk identification and multi tags handling 30

2.14 Anti collision protocol for bulk identification 30

2.15 Main component in DBMS 38

2.16 Microsoft Access 2007 41

2.17 Visual Basic.NET. 42

2.18 MySQL interface. 43

3.1 The process flow chart of the overall project 45

3.2 The process flow diagram for bus arrival time monitoring system 48

3.3 Illustration for bus arrival time monitoring base RFID technology 49

3.4 The low frequency RFID reader and tag use in this project 50

3.5 LAN switch 52

3.6 LAN cable 52

3.7 Window start 53

3.8 Starting created a project 54

3.9 Menu Button. In the red circle show the run icon 54

3.10 Stop Button to Stop the Running Program 54

xi

4.1 Data Source Configuration Wizard window 57

4.2 Change Data Source 58

4.3 Add connection 59

4.4 Testing a database connection 59

4.5 Main database table that named as BusRoute 61

4.6 Bus database table 61

4.7 Access table for station, location, and route 62

4.8 New Project windows 63

4.9 Blank form project 64

4.10 Toolbox window 64

4.11 Main Bus Terminal as user interface for database management system 65

4.12 Properties windows 66

4.13 Display screen for bus arrival time monitoring system 67

4.14 Main bus terminal interface 68

4.15 Sub coding for add new item at main bus terminal database 69

4.16 Sub coding for delete item at main bus terminal database 69

4.17 Sub coding for update database at main bus terminal database 70

4.18 Sub interface at main bus terminal interface 70

4.19 An example of sub coding in sub interface 71

4.20 Bus station monitors 72

4.21 Display screen coding 73

4.22 Project layout 74

4.23 LAN switch 75

4.24 Installation the RFID reader at computer USB hub 75

4.25 Map network drive selection 76

4.26 Map network drive window 76

4.27 Browse for folder 77

4.28 Folder and drive are selected 77

4.29 Drive mapped at computer window 78

5.1 The project layout 80

5.2 User interface for database 81

5.3 Bus station monitors 82

5.4 Experiment of the reader performance for a single tag 84

xii

5.5 Experiment of the reader performance for a multiple tags (five tags) 84

5.6 Graph of the reading performance for single tagging 85

5.7 Graph percentage of successful data reading with multiple tags 86

xiii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

APC - Automatic Passenger Counting

APTS - Advance Public Transportation System

AVL - Automatic Vehicle Location

DBMS - Database Management System

DMS - Dynamic Message Sign

GPS - Global Positioning Satellites

ITS - Intelligent Transportation System

PDA - Personal Digital Assistants

RFID - Radio Frequency Identification

1

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

This chapter begins with the background of the project. Next, the problem statements

of this project are described. With the problem statement, the objective of studies is

summarized as a guide to complete this project.

1.1 Background

Public transport is shared passenger transportation service which is available for use

by the general public. The nation's growth and the need to meet mobility,

environmental, and energy objectives place demands on public transit systems.

Public transit must expand service area, increase service frequency, and improve

efficiency to serve these demands. Research is necessary to solve operating

problems, to adapt appropriate new technologies from other industries, and to

introduce innovations into the transit industry.

The purposes of this paper are to review and improve the time monitoring system in

public transit which focusing in improve the bus time monitoring system. The goal of

the research is to develop a monitoring system that function to display the bus arrival

time at next station.

For the some consideration, the research about Radio Frequency Identification

(RFID) technology as alternative technology to improve time monitoring is essential

to integrate this technology at the bus time monitoring system. In additional, bus

arrival time monitoring system will provide better services in the view of providing

valuables information to the passenger. Important to know, the RFID is a generic

2

term that is used to describe a system that transmits the identity (in the form of a

unique serial number) of an object or person wirelessly, using radio waves. It is

grouped under the broad category of automatic identification technologies.

1.2 Problem Statement

Public transport networks involving buses are inherently unreliable due to traffic.

The only way to make them predictable would be to give the buses dedicated roads

with no traffic on them. This unreliability makes using public transport frustrating. If

passengers knew exactly where the next bus was at all times, waiting at a bus stop

would not be frustrating. The thesis will be demonstrated the research and

development of the RFID technology in the bus time monitoring system. This system

will provide better services by displaying the valuable time information to the

passenger.

1.3 Objectives

In this project, the objectives that have been defined are:

a) To develop a prototype of the bus arrival time monitoring system base Radio

Frequency Identification technology.

b) To create a database for the monitoring system.

c) To develop an interface as display screen for bus time monitoring system.

d) To integrate RFID system with database for time monitoring system.

e) To study and research about RFID technology.

3

1.4 Scope

This project is aimed to develop a prototype of the bus arrival time monitoring

system by using the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. The arrival

time monitoring will show the information about arrival time on the next station after

RFID tags was detect by reader at previous station. The development of this project

will focus in the database and user interface development.

1.5 Project Planning

The purposes of the project planning are to identified and plan the project to achieve

the target at the punctual time planning. The good planning can make the project

always on the right direction. The detail of the project schedule is in Gantt chart

below (table 1.1 and table 1.2). The Gantt chart shows about the planning and flow

of Projek Sarjana Muda (PSM). This Gantt chart shows the required topics, action

and time needed in order to fulfill the project scopes and objectives.

4

Table 1.1: Gantt chart for PSM 1

No Week

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Title

1 Title Choosing

2 Literature Review

3 Research Methodology

4 Problem Identification

5 Report PSM 1

6 Presentation Preparation

7 Presentation

8 Project Starting

9 Log book

5

Table 1.2: Gantt chart for PSM 2

No

Week

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Title

1 Designing Process

2 Fabrication

3 Robust Design

4 Analysis

5 Report PSM 2

6 Draft Report Submission

7 Presentation Preparation

9 Presentation

9 Final report

10 Log book

6

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter will review and critically analyze previous research related with the

thesis. The literature review will satisfy the proposed of the project, which is to

studies about an Information Technology in Public Transit, Radio Frequency

Identification and Database. On the topic of an Information Technology in Public

Transit, the literature reviews are mention about the application of Information

Technology in Public Transit, benefit of Information Technology, Travel Time and

other related criteria with Travel Time. Then, it move to the discussion about Radio

Frequency Tecnology such as history, component, frequency, range, coupling, and

other related issues about Radio Frequency Technology. Lastly, the fundamental

concepts of database will be explored, as these section are the core of the research.

2.1 Information Technology in Public Transit

Information technology (IT) is the study, design, development, implementation,

support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly

software applications and electronic hardware. IT deals with the use of electronic

computers and computer software to convert, store, protect, process, transmit and

retrieve information data. This includes the field of electronic communication (ICT).

IT systems are evolving at a very fast path opening opportunities for innovation. In

this field as in others, there is not one single ideal solution but a complete range of

possibilities to be carefully analysed and adapted to the specificities of each network.

However, IT can enhance all the activities of public transport networks to provide

7

better services. What are the fields of IT application in public transportation and

benefit of IT in public transport are listed below:

a) What are the fields of IT application in public transportation

Electronic Ticketing

Fleet and Traffic Management

Administration and Back Offices

Dynamic Passenger Information

Customer Services

Security and Safety

Maintenance

Multimedia and Internet Access

Computer Aided Design and Simulation

b) What are the benefits of IT in public transportation

Integrated systems for intermodal transport

Improved safety

Reduced travel times

Optimised passenger throughput

Lower maintenance costs

Proven reduction in error, theft and fraud

Technologies to reduce cash handling, transferring and securing

2.1.1 Travel Time Prediction in Transportation

Travel time has been identified by Austroads as an important system performance

measure and regular travel-time surveys are now conducted in the capital cities by

state road authorities in Australia (Cunningham, 1995). Meanwhile, a large number

of research studies and literature reviews concerned with the field of travel time

prediction have demonstrated the importance of travel time information in practical

applications of transportation and logistics.